Embracing Gratitude: A Thanksgiving Reflection with Pastor Josh Massaro

Hello and welcome to the Middletown Baptist Church Podcast,

where we are proclaiming the truth to the world.

In this podcast series, we're going to be looking into biblical

words that have great significance to our faith.

The name of this series is called the Word of the Week, where

once a week we will dive deeper into these words that we are

familiar with in scripture.

So come along with me.

Let's study the Word of the Week.

Pastor Josh here.

The word of the Week is Thanksgiving.

I know that most of you that are listening to this podcast, if

you're listening to it on the day that it comes out, are getting

prepared for the Thanksgiving holiday.

And we know that here in our country, we're thankful for the opportunity

to exercise our freedoms, and we're thankful for the blessings

that we have in our life.

But as Christians, we are called to give thanksgiving as well,

and not just one time a year, but throughout our lives.

The Bible tells us that we have many reasons to be thankful.

The Bible tells us by way of command to be thankful to the Lord

for many reasons.

We know that in multiple passages of Scripture, God gives

us, reasoning behind our thanksgiving.

Psalm 118, verse 29 says, O give thanks unto the Lord, for He

Psalms 118:29

is good, for his mercy endureth forever.

So one of the reasons why we are called to give thanks is because

of who God is.

God is perfect, he is good, he is powerful, he is loving, he is

forgiving, he is merciful.

I mean, the list goes on and on about all the things that we can

thank the Lord for in his goodness and his perfection and his

character.

So one of the things that I would challenge you to do here as

you come into the Thanksgiving season is to think about who God

is and thank him for his character, thank him for his perfection,

thank him for his love and his grace.

But we also know that God has demonstrated his love towards us.

Romans chapter 5, verse 8 tells us that he demonstrated his

Romans 5:8

love by giving us salvation, by sending his only begotten son,

Jesus Christ, to die for our sins.

We know that we have a reason to be thankful not only in who God

is, but what he has done for us by loving us, by sending Jesus

Christ to die on the cross for our sins, for allowing us to know

what it means to have everlasting life, allowing us to

have faith in him, allowing us to have a hope in a life that in

many ways, when it comes to the world's perspective, really there

is no hope for the world's perspective.

There's birth, a life, and all the struggles that come therein.

Then death, and then it's over.

But for us as Christians, we know that birth is the start physically.

But in our spiritual rebirth, as we see in John chapter three,

when we are born again, that's the start to our everlasting life.

And so this life that we live on this earth is just the start of

our everlasting life that we have in Jesus Christ.

So we have a reason to be thankful.

We have a reason to be thankful in the concept of who God

is.

But we also have a reason to be thankful for what God has done

for us.

And one of the psalms that come to mind is Psalm 100.

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord all ye lands.

Serve the Lord with gladness.

Come before his presence with singing.

So the Bible says one of the ways that we can show our thankfulness

to God is to make a joyful noise, sing praises to his name.

We're sometimes in church singing songs that speak of who God

is and what he has done for us.

But many times we just go through the motions of singing a

song, but would encourage you to think about and to meditate upon

the truth that you are praising him for.

And so the Bible says, sing.

And then we see in verse number two of Psalm 100, Serve, serve

the Lord with gladness.

And so the Bible says that there's a few different ways that

we can show thanksgiving to the Lord.

We can.

We can sing, we can serve.

It says in verse three, know ye that the Lord, he is God, it is

he that hath made us, and not we ourselves.

And so it's putting it into perspective that it's not our strength,

it is not our wisdom that gets us where we are.

It's the strength of God, it's the wisdom of God, it's the salvation

of God.

It says, we are his people and the sheep of his pasture.

Enter into his gates with thanksgiving and into his courts

with praise.

Be thankful unto him and bless his name.

For the Lord is good, his mercy is everlasting, and his truth

endureth to all generations.

And so we're thankful for the truth of God.

We're thankful for the salvation that he provides for us.

We're thankful for all of those wonderful, good gifts that

God sends our way.

We know that In James chapter 1, verse 17 says, Every good gift

James 1:17

and every perfect gift is from above and cometh down from the Father

of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

So every good thing that we think about in our lives comes from

God.

And so we could sit here and we could say, well, you know, I'm

thankful for my family.

And that gift of family is from the Lord.

Maybe you're thankful for your health.

That is a gift of God.

Maybe you're thankful for your job, maybe you're thankful for your

home, maybe you're thankful for your friends.

Those are all good gifts that God gives us.

But there's the greatest gift that God gives us, and that is the

gift of salvation.

And so I would encourage you to think about that perfect gift,

the perfect gift of salvation and the fact that he offers us that

gift of the gospel.

The fact that Jesus came, lived a perfect life, died on the

cross for our sins, conquered death through the resurrection, and

now extends that gift of grace to us.

That's an amazing, beautiful thing.

And that gift is available to all those who call upon the name

of the Lord.

John 3:16.

John 3:16

For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son,

that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting

life over and over again.

We see in Scripture that we need to call upon the name of the

lord.

Romans chapter 6, verse 23.

Romans 6:23

For the wages of sin is death.

That's what our own life brings us.

But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans chapter 10, verse 13.

Romans 10:13

For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

That's the greatest gift.

Now we that live with freedoms here in the United States, we're

thankful for those freedoms that we have.

So there's a lot of reasons to be thankful.

Even with things that we have on the day to day life that we have

here in our country.

Food on our table, clothes, a home, transportation, all good things.

But we must see that what James chapter one says, these are

all things from God.

But the greatest gift that we should give him things for is the

gift of salvation extended to all.

And so I would encourage you to think about that, I would encourage

you to put that into perspective when it comes to your

life.

And I would even say and challenge us here today, that the

Bible actually says that we are to live in the will of God by

giving thanks first.

1 Thessalonians 5:16–18

Thessalonians, chapter 5, verses 16 through 18 says this.

Rejoice evermore.

Rejoice in everything.

That's what it's saying there.

Sometimes it's easy to rejoice in the good times.

But he says, rejoice in everything.

Pray without ceasing.

That shows us how we can rejoice, right?

Our reliance on God, a reliance on God brings us joy.

Reliance on self brings us devastation.

So he says, rejoice evermore.

Pray without ceasing.

And then verse 18 of 1st Thessalonians, chapter 5.

In everything, not necessarily for everything, but in everything,

in every season of our life, give thanks.

For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

So I don't know if you've ever thought about this, but if you want

to live in the will of God according to Scripture, we must then

live according to an attitude of gratitude, giving thanks.

He says, give thanks in everything, for this is the will

of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

So we can have this thanksgiving in our lives.

We can have that attitude of gratitude in our lives because of

our relationship with Jesus Christ.

And so it's not saying that everything's going our way, it's

not saying that we're happy with all the circumstances of our

life, but there is an overwhelming contentment that we

can find in the truth of knowing Jesus Christ.

Philippians chapter 4, verse 6 says, Be careful or be anxious for

Philippians 4:6

nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication.

So we see that the conduit to this perspective is that communication

with God, that fellowship with God, but everything by prayer and

supplication.

And then we see our word here with thanksgiving.

So the spirit of our prayers, the spirit of the communication to

the Lord is the spirit of thanksgiving by prayer and supplication,

with thanksgiving, let your request be made known unto God.

Now you would say, well, that's an interesting concept.

How can we have this type of peace?

How can we have this type of hope?

Well, the type of peace and hope comes from what the next verse

says, verse number seven.

It says, the peace of God which passeth all understanding.

And so when we live this life of thanksgiving, when we live this

life of contentment in the Lord, we do have that sense of peace,

a peace that passeth all understanding that the world cannot

understand.

And so if you're looking for that peace here in this thanksgiving

season, what it is, is it's a total reliance on God.

It's a total reliance on his guidance in our life and that perspective

of where we were before we came to Christ and where we are now

in our transformation.

So I.

I encourage you to think about that.

When it comes to that perspective of thanksgiving, it's

not necessarily a circumstantial peace.

It's a peace that passes all understanding.

Paul goes on to talk about that in Philippians chapter four,

about that complete contentment that he has, that no

matter what might be the case in his life.

He can be content in Christ.

And over and over again in the New Testament, we see that exhortation,

that challenge to give thanks, to give thanks and everything.

First Timothy, chapter two, verse one.

I exhort, therefore, that first of all supplications, prayers,

intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men.

So the challenge is not just to give thanks for certain things

and for certain people, but as it says there, obviously, it's for

all things that God allows in our life.

And so we aren't necessarily naturally inclined to be thankful

for the difficult times, but sometimes those difficult moments

in our life, those closed doors, that conviction can lead us

to a place of contentment in Christ.

And we even know that in Second Corinthians, chapter 12, Paul

2 Corinthians 12 · chapter mention

mentions the idea that when we are weak in our flesh, God is made

strong in his spirit.

And so we even know that in Second Corinthians, chapter nine,

he says, thanks be unto God for this, for his unspeakable gift,

unbelievable gift that God gives us.

And that is this gift of grace.

So I don't know what you do for your Thanksgiving holiday.

I don't know if you have any traditions within your home, but

I would encourage you to take some time to recount what God has

given you and ultimately meditate upon, think about, dwell

upon the gift of grace.

If you're a believer in Jesus Christ today, you have that reason

to be thankful and that contentment.

So give thanks.

Go back to what it said in Psalm 100, Sing unto him, sing praises

to his name, serve the Lord, as it says there, with gladness,

with contentment, come before his presence, with singing.

And then the idea is knowing God, knowing Him, and knowing what

he has done for us.

So if you're looking for a reason to be thankful this Thanksgiving

season, think about who God is in his goodness, in his character,

and think about what he has done for you.

And if you think about those two things, there's obviously all

the more reason to be thankful.

And I think that that's something that all of us need to

be challenged with when it comes to the season, because we live

in a society that is very discontent, never satisfied.

But I will tell you that in Christ, we can be satisfied.

In Christ, there is sufficiency.

In Christ there is complete contentment and peace.

As the Bible says, that passeth all understanding.

So I hope that you have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday, looking

forward to coming back next week and continuing our study here

and our words of the week.

And I hope that you have a time this week where you can just

carve out a few moments to meditate upon the goodness of God

and the goodness of what he has done for you.

I'll be praying for you and your family.

I hope that you have a wonderful time this Thanksgiving

season.

I pray that it's safe if you're traveling.

And I look forward to hearing from you.

You can contact us on social media, on Facebook, you can message

us there or you can email me at Josh Josh massaromiddletownbaptistchurch.org

and we'd love to hear how you're celebrating your Thanksgiving

holiday.

And we'd love to hear your ideas about future Words of the week.

And I would love to dissect passages of scripture that maybe

are interesting you here in the season of your life.

Well, we look forward to talking to you more this weekend

when it comes to our Sunday morning service.

But from here on out, I hope that you have a wonderful Thanksgiving

holiday.

God bless you.

We will talk to you soon.

Hey, I really appreciate that you listened to the Word of the Week

podcast.

If you have any questions about the podcast or about our church,

Middletown Baptist Church, you can find more information about us

on Facebook or YouTube.

Or you can find the podcast on NBC.

Podcast podcast.org you can contact me directly at Josh Massaro

at middletown baptist church.org Stay tuned for future

Word of the Week episodes where we dive deeper into words that

impact our life according to scripture.

Thank you so much.

God bless.

We'll talk to you soon.